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How Brigitte Macron Is Redefining First Lady Dressing

Brigitte Macron in a white mod Louis Vuitton mini dress and Melania Trump in a red Dior skirt suit, at the Bastille Day celebrations in 2017

Rex Features

IF there’s a lesson to take from Melania Trump’s first few months in the White House, it’s that, in this new era of First Lady fashion, low-maintenance is out. The latest proof? Brigitte Macron, the 64-year-old wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, and the woman injecting the Élysée Palace with a much-needed dose of youthful style.

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What Can We Expect From Brigitte Macron?

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The French literature teacher is all anyone can talk about across the Channel for a variety of reasons, most scandalous of which is that – zut! – she is 24 years her husband’s senior and was his drama teacher at school. She is certainly his closest advisor, rarely leaving his side and often taking his hand at public events, an American touch that's uncommon in French politics. And as her husband takes his first steps outlining his presidency in youth-centric, dynamic, modern terms, Brigitte is the eye-catching partner welcoming Rihanna and Bono to the Élysée in skinny jeans and a characteristically sharp jacket.

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Quick recap: a precocious Macron fell in love with Brigitte Trogneux when he was 17. They grew close when they rewrote a school play together. Having been sent away to Paris to finish his studies at Lycée Henri-IV - an attempt by his parents to put an end to the relationship - he eventually persuaded the mother-of-three (her daughter was in his class) to leave her husband and, in 2007, 12 years after their affair began, to marry him.

More exciting for the style-watchers, though, is that Ms Macron is turning the tables on the Chic Bobo aesthetic (read: slim-cut navy tailoring, low-heeled shoes, shiny-but-not-obviously-coiffed hair) that has long classified the wardrobes of Parisian women d’un certain âge in the political sphere in favour of a high-maintenance look that’s based on an “allure rock”, according to L’Express. The trappings? A deep tan, a peroxide-to-honey blonde hair'do, an above-the-knee mini dress, an expensive designer handbag and car-to-carpet heels.

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Brigitte Macron and the Argentinian First Lady Juliana Awada at the G20 in June

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The French, of course, have always liked a high-maintenance First Lady. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who was better liked than her husband, knew a grey Christian Dior suit and improbably shiny hair topped off with a pillbox hat was a no-brainer with the public. But while Bruni-Sarkozy always played it demure, Ms Macron favours the kinds of allure-enhancing clothes one might associate with Mrs. Trump – who, in an interesting inverse of the Macrons’ gender-age dynamic, is 24 years her husband’s junior. Macron, too, is the kind of woman who wears a skirt – gasp! – several inches above the knee, and wears it without tights.

In Louis Vuitton for the Bastille day celebrations in July 2015

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The French have applauded her for it in the press. Delphine de Canecaude, a successful Paris-based art director, told L’Express: “She’s rock’n’roll. Not for a second does she say, ‘I’m 63, so I cannot wear short skirts.’ Twelve-inch heels, sleeveless dresses, leather trousers, she dares everything.” She added: “She is a mega wonderwoman.” So, while critics zero in on her husband’s unconventional politics – Emmanuel Macron, 39, had never run for any kind of election prior to becoming president, and after a brief spell as economy minister formed a new centrist party, En Marche!, last year – others are looking at the unconventional style of his wife.

At a gala to welcome Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Paris in June 2015, wearing Gianvito Rossi shoes

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For all that, however, Macron displays deference to the lynchpins of the French fashion industry. She has a Louis Vuitton weakness that manifests itself in an array of navy, beige and pink Capucines bags, a front row seat at its fashion shows, and an obvious attachment to her black Revival ankle boots. She sits front row, too, at Christian Dior, and frequently sports an Hermès watch and a Moncler padded jacket. And she’s not immune to that most-aped Parisienne style tic: the outfit-enhancing colour-block scarf. In short: she looks fabulous.

Welcoming the Dutch royals to Paris in March 2016

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Sometimes, the effect is a little too fabulous – she is accused of eclipsing her husband. French political wives are expected to blend in. But as Macron himself told RTL prior to his presidential appointment: “She will have the role that she always had with me, she will not be hidden, because she shared my life, because her opinion is important, and because the presidential position carries something of a personal dimension. She has always been by my side; she’s my equilibrium.” That’s refreshing.

See Macron's style evolution below.

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June 2015

At a gala to welcome Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to Paris in June 2015, wearing Gianvito Rossi shoes.